A BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR ODYESSY of life in the small fishing town of Santa Rosalia and travels throughout Mexico and elsewhere

February 6, 2009

You own a dog, but you can only feed a cat

It’s been pretty hectic at Casa Boleo lately, but not due to any guests. Esperando has again been involved in a kitnapping heist to trap Mrs. Moustache so we could get her spayed. Penelope declined to attend the entrapment ceremony so she is clueless about what may happen to her in next few months. We think she is in the process of raising a litter of kittens and will see if they show up before we deal with her next. We took Frida to get spayed also. And now the maid is inspired to get her female cat fixed. The smallest kitten Carmen tagged along to get her first shots; she is too young for spaying yet.

Thus I ferried a carload of three cats back and forth to Mulege, an hour away. No sooner did we get home with dopey sore cats than good old Dash went and ate something rotten and spent the rest of the night throwing up. Do you know how unpleasant it is at 2, 3 and 4 in the morning to crawl into a dog crate with your bursitis arm and clean up the mess only to repeat the same scenario again? I really didn’t want to have to turn around and drive back to Mulege the next day so I called the vet and she told me not to feed him for ten hours, and then only water, no food until the next day. Fortunately that worked really well and he has recovered yet again. He is getting chicken and rice which he loves, I almost wonder if he eats crap just so he can have the chicken and rice.

Both Winnie and Carmen were very worried about Frida when she was returned to the house. The anesthetic had a very nasty effect on her. I was supposed to keep her calm, but she turned into a twirling dervish and Winnie sat transfixed outside the crate observing her, clearly knowing she was beyond condolence. She spun and climbed the crate in continuous motion for 20 minutes, screaming the whole time and twirling in circles. It was pretty ugly, and I finally had to move her into something small where she had a really limited range of motion. Only then did she finally calm down enough that Winnie could approach and make comforting meowing noises.

This morning Winnie was feeling like a blue meanie and I had to chase him away from beating up Frida who is feeling better but still not recovered. His solution was to flatten himself and crawl under the bureau meowing for Carmen to come out and play so he could vent his annoyance on some helpless little thing. Such a melodious chirping you never heard. For 15 minutes he called and called. Wise kitten that she is, Carmen remained hidden in her drawer.

The vet told me to keep Mrs. Moustache in a crate for one day before surgery and one day after without food and water. When I opened the crate she split so fast she was beyond even being a blur. This morning she came waltzing back after a 3-day absence as if I was the greatest person on earth, and oh, please could I feed her? Amazing! I thought I would never see her again. I often wonder if she has a real owner, although she spends all of her time here. If she does,what do they think about the shaved belly and incision? Alien abduction!

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My life--

Quien es?

An expatriate American wife living the slow country life in Baja and running the company guesthouse. Married to a copper mining man whom I call Esperando Esposo, means 'looking for my husband' in Spanish, the pen name I have given him for always getting lost in Home Depot. We have brought our three pets, the dog Sweet Pickle, the cat Sour Pickle, and our newest addition, a Chihuahua puppy Little Tickle, down here to live with us. We have adopted three feral Mexican cats: Frida, Carmencita, and Mrs. Moustache.

Lupita starts her own blog

Adventures with Lupita

You know this about your pets especially when they are still young--never leave them alone for too long. So what did I do? I slipped out of the room for a while and when I was out Lupita got a hold of my computer and started her own blog: adventureswithlupita.weebly.com.

P.A.W. Vet Clinic, Mulege, Baja California Sur

Help The Patrons of Animal Welfare (P.A.W.) Veterinary Clinic get up and running by December 2010. The clinic will offer spay/neuter services and vaccinations. We have the staff, we have the will and now all we need is you--and a little donation! Thanks.